“We have been clear that we will not stand for this continued harassment and this latest amendment to the law will strike another blow to those businesses and company bosses responsible.”

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said: “The people running nuisance call companies have little regard for the anxiety and upset they cause all in the name of turning a fast profit.

“We are inundated with complaints from people who are left shaken and distressed by the intrusion on their daily lives.

“We’re quick to fine the companies responsible but we’ve been speaking to the government about going further than that because we must do all we can to help protect people from these calls.

“Making directors responsible will stop them ducking away from fines by putting their company into liquidation. It will stop them leaving by the back door as the regulator comes through the front door.”

The ICO has issued fines totalling almost £3.7 million to companies behind nuisance marketing.

This year alone, the ICO has fined firms responsible for more than 70 million calls and nearly eight million spam text messages.

Alex Neill, Which? managing director of home and legal services, said: “This is a massive victory for the hundreds of thousands of people who supported our nuisance calls campaign.

“It’s good to see the Government has listened to consumers and will be introducing new rules to hold company directors to account.

“This legislation will stop rogues dodging fines for bombarding consumers with nuisance calls and side-stepping the rules by closing one business and re-establishing a new one.”